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"This book manages to bring together a fascinating selection of different types of stories and crónicas (reports) so as to offer a justly complex and distinct narrative of Venezuela. It is an extraordinary effort, a doorway that only good writing can offer: where ambiguity manages to overcome the kingdom of stereotypes, to defeat the Manichean moralism which aims to turn history into a mere paean. Here is a country that survives its own headlines. A country to be read." - From the forward by Alberto Barrera Tyska.
While Venezuela may be known around the world for its oil or its politics, Venezuelan writing remains almost entirely unknown, with only a handful of books having been published in English in recent years. Crude Words is our response to this gap, the first ever anthology of contemporary Venezuelan writing and a celebration of Venezuelan literary talent. The collection brings together 30 pieces by Venezuelans both resident in the country and in exile, including essays, short stories and extracts from novels - from genres as diverse as journalism to erotica. There are pieces about food shortages, police brutality and the all-pervasive fear of violent crime, but there is also love, sex and the everyday... life in all its rich variety